Catch The Wind
by iTarundoru
Summary: Squalo x Dino. He may not be first in Squalo's heart but he's surprisingly okay with that.


**Pairing:** Squalo x Dino (SD)  
**Prompt:** First  
**Summary:** Dino may not be first in Squalo's heart but he's surprisingly okay with that.  
**Word Count:** 1332

Third round entry for the KHR writing contest. I never realised it's actually quite so difficult to stick to a minimum word limit. The title was taken from a really old song that I thought fit quite well.

* * *

It's a quiet afternoon, one of those rare days when Dino has no major engagements to attend to, and he has retreated into his room for a little relaxation, the first day off that he has had in a long time. He should have realised that this would be too good to be true. Squalo's arrival promptly shatters this peace but even so he doesn't jump when the door suddenly slams open with such force that it ricochets off the adjoining wall, causing even more plaster to flake and crumble down onto the carpet below.

After all, from where he was standing he could see perfectly out of the window and so he'd had a fine view of the silver haired man striding determinedly up towards the building, obviously the Varia have been based somewhere nearby again. Besides, it would have been a little hard to miss all of the commotion going on downstairs as Squalo yells at his men to get out of his way.

The door is slammed shut almost as harshly as it was thrown open, causing the building's very foundations to shake, and Dino turns to face the silver haired man with the same carefree grin that he treats everybody to as though this is not completely odd.

"Ah, Squalo. What are you do-"

It is a good job that Dino is so used to Reborn's Spartan training methods from when he was younger for when something comes flying towards his head he is instinctively able to duck out of the way, clearly Squalo has been taking influences from Xanxus. It's an antique vase and it splinters into thousands of pieces when it makes contact with the wall behind him, raining down onto the carpet below, the intricate flower patterns little more than dust now. It was actually a gift from one of his allied families, incredibly expensive, but Dino doesn't mention that because the swordsman has a face like thunder and, frankly, he's not stupid enough to have a death wish.

There is the scuffle of movement from outside the door, clearly some of the new recruits eager to rush to their boss' aid, but Romario's calm voice soon follows and they halt. This is not the first time it has happened and Dino's right hand man either has surprisingly good instincts or he just knows better than to try and interfere.

"Something the matter, Squalo?" Dino questions cheerfully as though it's perfectly normal to have the Italian come charging into his office and start throwing things around. Which, come to think of it, it actually is.

He flinches a little when Squalo strides forward, expecting something else to be thrown and hoping against hope that it's something a little easier to replace this time, but the other man merely slams his fists down onto the wood of his desk. All of his pen pots jump sideways and a stack of papers that had been resting on the edge are now scattered all over the floor but Dino ignores that, at least nothing else is broken.

"VOI! That damn boss!"

Dino doesn't even bother trying to look surprised anymore. The only times that Squalo comes and seeks him out is when he has gotten into an argument with the temperamental leader of the Varia and since that tends to happen more times than is probably healthy he doesn't even need to prompt the other to continue.

"The Ninth calls to say he has a mission for us but boss tells me to stay behind, that they don't need my help." Squalo moves forwards again and the stack of papers that had previously been knocked onto the floor are scattered even further as the volatile man kicks out at them. Hopefully they weren't important, Dino can't remember. "After all that I do for that man he treats me just like all the rest of the trash!"

Back when he was younger Dino used to imagine that one day he would be first in Squalo's heart, that the swordsman would stop staring after Xanxus' back and actually pay attention to the person who has always been beside him but this is nothing more than a whimsical fantasy. Squalo's greatest trait has always been his unwavering passion and loyalty, it's one of the things that Dino has always admired most about him, and so he has little hope of things ever changing.

To him Squalo embodies everything that he wants for himself, the vigour, the unyielding loyalty, the drive to prove himself. To the Varia member Dino is… well, actually he isn't exactly sure what Squalo thinks of him and to be honest he doesn't really want to ask, it is far better to just pretend that he exists somewhere in the other's universe rather than risk finding out a painful truth

"You should be talking to the Vongola about this, they're the ones with the most control. Maybe they can do something about it."

Dino already knows that is futile though, Squalo is advancing on him now and although the anger that is simmering beneath the surface is still very much tangible there is a glimmer of something different in his eyes. A spark that Dino should be wary of but for some reason he isn't, it is just another one of those things he has come to expect when Squalo turns up unannounced.

"I don't care about that," His tone has lowered a notch and Dino is hard pressed to try and suppress the shiver that runs down his spine. "Give me something better to think about."

Squalo's fingers curl around Dino's tie in a manner that shouldn't be as seductive as Dino finds it, yanking him forward roughly, and the blond doesn't even need to look at the other's expression to realise what is going to happen next.

* * *

Dino used to wonder why Squalo didn't possess storm flames, he's got more passion, drive and the desire to be in the centre of every conflict than anyone else that he knows but by now he's come to realise that rain flames fit him far more than he would have first imagined. Rain flames are supposed to wipe clean everything and that is certainly what happens to his mind in times like this.

He forgets that this is just a way for Squalo to relieve his stress, that it's probably foolish of him to even expect that anything more will come from these encounters. In fact he forgets everything that is not the feel of Squalo's lips, the rough touch of his hands, the burn of skin on skin. They are not gentle, there is no need to be. It's just a way for Squalo to release all of his anger and like the love sick puppy that he is Dino just rolls over and accepts it.

When they are finished Squalo falls asleep, one arm slung across Dino's waist. Dino himself dozes for a few minutes, limbs tired but feeling all around sated, before carefully sitting up and making sure not to disturb the one beside him. When he returns from cleaning himself up he notices that the Italian is scowling in his sleep, muttering something darkly and more than once Dino catches the word 'Xanxus' and plenty of curses.

He lifts the other man's arm and slides back again and instantly the frown that was on the other's face melts away and the muttering falls into silence. The man's expression is unguarded, vulnerable even, and briefly he wonders whether he is the only person who ever gets to see him like this. Although he likes to think that he doesn't care about these kinds of sentimental things the thought alone is enough to bring a small smile to his face and he curls himself closer.

Dino may not be first in Squalo's heart but he's surprisingly okay with that because at least this is proof that he owns a little of it, no matter how small.

* * *

This is what happens when you have no ideas, procrastinate and then try to write everything in one evening before the deadline T_T.


End file.
